


Vacation

by eutrash (AreteNike)



Series: Sheith New Year's [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Hiking, M/M, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-03 23:36:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17293457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AreteNike/pseuds/eutrash
Summary: "Seeing more of Earth was your idea," Keith reminds him, when Shiro sighs over the pamphlets strewn across the table in front of him. "And you've had a couple months now to think about it, too.""I wasn't actually going to go through with it," he admits, idly shifting them around like that'll help him make a decision. "It was just...a nice thought."





	Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> and this is the part where we all remember im bad at writing to prompts lol. day 2 of sheith new years! related to the previous one!

"Seeing more of Earth was _your_ idea," Keith reminds him, when Shiro sighs over the pamphlets strewn across the table in front of him. "And you've had a couple months now to think about it, too."

"I wasn't actually going to go through with it," he admits, idly shifting them around like that'll help him make a decision. "It was just...a nice thought."

"You're taking time off even if you can't pick something," Keith warns. "And I know you're gonna go crazy just sitting at home all day. We might as well go somewhere."

"You pick, then."

"Again: it was your idea." Keith comes around the table and leans on Shiro's shoulder to look at the pamphlets, too. "Maybe we can narrow it down. Is there anywhere you _don't_ want to go?"

"Hm." Shiro prods a picture of the Grand Canyon. "Not specifically. I guess I'd like to see something specific to _Earth,_ though. Lots of planets have, you know, canyons."

"So, something man-made." Keith flicks a handful of pamphlets across the table. "So, what, Disneyland?"

"I don't think they've finished rebuilding yet. And anyway, I've _been_ to Disneyland."

Keith shifts. "Really?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? I was a kid, it was in Tokyo, but I've been."

"It just sounds too fun for you."

Shiro pinches him with his floating hand but Keith just laughs. "I can have _fun._ But if you want to go to a theme park, let's go to a theme park."

"Nuh-uh, you're choosing, not me."

"Keith." Shiro puts a hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate what you're doing, but if we're going together, I want it to be something you'll enjoy, too."

Keith raises an eyebrow. "You know I'll follow you anywhere. I'm not picky."

"And that's fine for, you know." Shiro gestures upward. "War. But this is a vacation. If I have to have fun, so do you."

Keith grins. "'If I _have_ to have fun—'"

"Keith."

"Okay, okay." Keith leans closer and kisses his temple. "How about something historical? A lot of the big stuff is gone, but the Galra can't have destroyed _everything._ And something close by, so you aren't worried about rushing back if something happens."

"Yeah," Shiro says slowly. "That sounds good."

And that's how they end up hiking along a cliff in Colorado.

"We've had a surprising number of visitors since you guys saved us," their guide says over her shoulder. "It's like you said—a lot of places people would usually go to see are gone. But we got lucky, out in the middle of nowhere like we are. Watch your step."

They start down a steep set of stairs; the cliffs still block the sight of their destination, but the trail has a fair amount of other people on it, heading to and fro.

"Of course, we were still affected—it's not as though we could continue our usual conservation efforts during an alien invasion." The guide smiles. "A number of refugees hid out here, too—those of us already here, and a few that managed to escape from the nearby work camps. It's really a testament to the craftsmanship of the ancient peoples here that anyone could still live in the ruins they left behind." She gestures ahead. "Not ideal for preservation, of course, and it wasn't exactly luxurious. But we survived, so I can't really complain."

They turn a corner, and finally their destination is in sight: the crumbling walls and tiny dark windows of a whole town's worth of buildings, built right into the cliffside. Parts of it are covered in scaffolding and ladders, and it's swarmed with people, but the shapes of the dwellings are clear enough.

"You lived here?" Keith asks after a moment, a trace of awe in his voice.

"Yes," the guide says. She's stopped to let them take it in, and is smiling patiently. "Most of the staff here did. You'd be surprised at how much people like to hear about it on the tours." She waves a hand, and they continue their descent. "I think it makes it a little more relatable. It did for us, anyway."

As they approach, she slips back into her presentation of the history of the place, and Shiro and Keith dutifully follow. Shiro tries to ignore the looks they're getting; it figures that people would recognize them. It's why they opted for a private tour instead of a group one—less people to gawk at them initially. But now he kind of wishes they could've gotten that part over with at the start and had a crowd to blend into now. Ah, well. Next time they go somewhere like this, they'll know.

He likes the idea that there will be a next time, too.

After detailing what not to touch, the guide sets them free to explore a while, so they meander through the crowds and ruins together. Shiro stops to read every plaque, not that there are many—and most of them are for explaining some damage or addition as a result of the invasion. It _is_ an interesting juxtaposition; he's not surprised the other tourists want to hear about it, too.

And there's a familiar little twinge of regret, that if somehow they could have gotten here sooner, none of this would have happened. But this is a place where people lived, not died, and it helps.

"I'm glad we came here," he murmurs to Keith, eventually.

"Me too," Keith says. "You're getting sentimental about it, aren't you?"

"No," he protests. "It's just nice to see how people, you know. Survived."

"Uh huh." Keith looks around. "Next time, let's do a group tour so we have a crowd to hide in," he adds.

Shiro chuckles. "I was thinking that, too."

Keith grins and takes his hand, despite all the people watching them. They're gonna be in all the tabloids tomorrow. That's okay, though. He doesn't mind if everyone knows.

"Let's go check out that round thing." Keith points.

"The..." Shoot, he can't remember what the guide called them. "Midden?"

"I'm pretty sure 'midden' is a trash pile."

"Then it was a... K-something. Kiva?"

"That sounds right. But it's got a ladder and I want to see if I can climb down it."

"Alright." Shiro squeezes his hand and grins. "Let's go, then."

They spend all afternoon exploring, until their tour guide finally collects them to bring them back to the educational center. They spend another half hour in the gift shop, picking out trinkets to bring back for everyone, before finally returning to the hotel and heading out for dinner.

By the time Shiro collapses into bed, he's exhausted in a good way, and he's mostly managed not to think about all the work he's not getting done by being here. Keith flopping down half on top of him and sighing into his shoulder helps.

"If it's gonna be like this, maybe I should go on vacation more often," Shiro says, wrapping his arms around Keith and finishing with a kiss somewhere in the vicinity of his forehead.

"Good," Keith mumbles, and promptly falls asleep. Shiro follows soon after.

**Author's Note:**

> i was thinking of [this place](https://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm) while writing, mostly bc i was trying to think of where to send them and happened to notice the postcard ive got up on my wall that i got there while i was in middle school lmao. its a cool place. i dont remember it very well at all. also as im writing this the website is covered in notices about the government shutdown which is just. depressing...
> 
> find me [@maternalcube](http://maternalcube.tumblr.com/)


End file.
